The Problem with Brand Positioning

A brand position is defined as the conceptual place you want your brand to own in the target consumer’s mind.

The problem with this is, just because you tell someone your brand position, they will still make their own decision about where your brand is positioned in their mind. If you want your brand position to stick, you can’t just say it, you need to show it and more importantly, your target consumer needs to feel it.

If your brand says it is completely customisable, you better make sure there are more options than just colour. If your brand says quickest delivery, you better ensure 7-10 working days is nowhere to be seen. And if your brand says ‘safe and secure’, you better have the test results to back it up.

A successful brand position is all about the follow through.

A successful brand position starts from the top down, with management all the way through your organisation, to every touch point a customer has with your brand. These touch points take the form of taglines and slogans and brand personality in advertising, website, store displays, packaging, customer service, your employees and much more.

Does your target consumer even value your brand position?

What if your brand sells car seats for babies? ‘Cheapest on the market’ probably wouldn’t be the wisest positioning. Although price is a factor, when it comes down to it, most consumers value other factors much higher than price. Find out what these other factors are for your customers by asking them! Thinking you know your customers’ values better than they know themselves, can be a very costly mistake. Understand your audience, consider their needs and reflect this in your offering.

Ensuring your brand position aligns with your target customers’ values will make all the difference to your brand’s success.

So what if you’re thinking that your brand position may not be that great?

Defining a great brand position can be tricky. It can be even trickier doing so from the inside out. Your emotional investment will inevitably bias your judgement about the position of your business. Although it’s recommended to engage some outside help to define your brand’s positioning, here are some questions to kickstart the thought process:

Who are your target customers?
What do your target customers value?
Who are your direct competitors?
What makes your offering unique compared to your competitors?
What now?

Don’t make the mistake of just simply checking ‘brand positioning’ off the to-do list. Take the opportunity to really make an impact and your brand will thank you for it.

Whatever Marketing specialises in helping large and small businesses define great brand positions. Should you need assistance with discovering your brand’s position, flick us an email at hello@whatevermarketing.co.nz.